


The Rematch

by tjlyricz



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Fantasy Violence, Gen, Secret Relationship, Sibling Rivalry, agni kai rematch, small teenage romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:15:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26682031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tjlyricz/pseuds/tjlyricz
Summary: “ENOUGH!” Zuko’s voice boomed. “LET THEM GO AND FIGHT ME!”There it was. That was what she was looking for. The rematch of Angi Kai. Azula licked her lips. “Your wish is my command,” she cracked her neck. “Fire Lord…”Zuko hasn't been Fire Lord for very long, and doesn't know if he's making the right choices. His latest decision was to keep Azula close to him despite the suggestions of his council. As the stress of the throne begins to take its toll, he gets a visit by his secret admirer and her brother with a message that leads an Agni Kai rematch.(I marked it as "teens and up" because of the violence (not graphic) and some likely implied "naughtiness.")
Relationships: Zuko/Katara
Kudos: 18





	The Rematch

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first Avatar fanfic on AO3 :) I'm excited about it! Future stories to come. Hope you enjoy!

The Rematch

Zuko’s fingers traced figures on the arm of his throne. Everyone had left the room, leaving him to his thoughts. He still couldn’t believe that after all this time, after all the pain and running and searching and fighting, he was Fire Lord of the Fire Nation. His fingers drew circles around and around the decorations engraved into the arms of the chair. Little flames on a dragon’s back swerved back and forth at the edges of the throne. Zuko looked out at the table in front of him where twelve leaders under his command once sat. “Am I really cut out for this?” Zuko asked aloud. His fingers dropped off the chair as he stood up. The crown on his head felt heavy. This was his tenth meeting since becoming Fire Lord, and he already had so many decisions to make. This last meeting was about what to do with Azula. The council had made a notion to send her to an insane asylum. Zuko rejected the call. Yes, his sister was disturbed, but he didn’t think she needed to be sent to a place like that, not now.

“I have my honor…I have the crown…But am I ready to make these choices? What if I make the wrong call? What if I’m too weak to make the right move?…What if I have…” His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the throne room’s door.

“Fire Lord Zuko,” came a familiar voice, “May I come in?”

A small smile peeked on Zuko’s lips. Any doubts he had evaporated the moment he heard her. He patted down the wrinkles on his gown and repositioned the crown pin tied in his hair. His throat cleared itself before he answered. “Yes, you may.”

He tried to monitor his facial reaction when she walked in.

There she was. His Katara. It had been how long since he had seen her? A month? It might as well have been a decade. Anytime apart from her felt like an eternity. No one knew of their furtive attractions. They expressed their true feelings the day Katara spared the life of the Southern Raider that killed her mother. Zuko opened up about his past while Katara listened. Katara talked about the hidden burden she kept tucked away of feeling the need to be like both mother and sister to Sokka. The kiss they shared that night was nothing like Zuko had ever experienced. He thought he had loved Mai, but after that night with Katara, he realized he knew nothing of love until that moment.

Zuko brought himself back to the present. Katara’s hair draped loosely around her shoulders, eyes bluer than sapphires, and tan skin that complimented the red dress that hung beautifully on her toned body. She knew how much he loved seeing her in red. His heart fluttered in his chest. No matter how many times he saw her like this, seeing her in red would never cease to take his breath away.

Then his lips sunk down to their usual linear state when he saw Sokka poking his head into the room. “Hey! This place is HUGE!” Sokka plopped a hand on top of his head. “Katara, why don’t we have a throne room like this down at the South Pole?”

Katara took her eyes off Zuko and rolled them to the decorative ceiling above them before landing on Sokka. “We don’t need one.” She left her brother to his own devices as she closed the door behind her. Her hands quickly raked through her hair before she addressed her secret admirer. “So,” Katara sighed with tenderness, “Fire Lord Zuko—”

Zuko shook his head, “Please, Katara,” he interrupted, “You don’t have to call me that.”

“Are you sure?” Sokka stumbled behind his sister. “I’d make her call me Fire Lord if I could.” His eyes wandered around the throne room.

Katara shot him an annoyed glance.

“I don’t need think it’s necessary since we’ve—” Zuko stopped himself from finishing the sentence as Sokka made his way over to the throne.

“Sokka! Get from there! Have a little respect!” Katara ordered. Her hands planted themselves on her hips.

“It’s okay,” Zuko assured, “It’s not the end of the world.”

This made Katara smiled. Zuko loved her smile. He loved being the reason she smiled.

His heart started to flutter again as she walked closer to him. “Ah, u-um,” he stuttered, “So, ah, what did you, um, come here to say…again?”

The Southern Water Tribe ambassador took her attention off her brother and put it back on Zuko. “It’s about the letter you sent.” Katara pulled out a scroll she had tucked away in her sash.

The Fire Lord cocked an eyebrow. “A letter _I_ sent?”

Katara nodded, eyes glistening from the fire behind his throne.

“Yeah,” Sokka’s answer echoed through the room. “You wanted to see us about something important.” At this point Sokka had made himself extremely comfortable on the throne, stroking the arms before lounging back with his legs spread out. “Katara, seriously, we _need_ one of these back home.”

“I didn’t send a letter.” Zuko directed his attention to Katara. “Can I see the letter?”

Katara frowned, pursing her lips. “Ah, yeah,” she handed Zuko the letter now that she was close enough to him. “Are you sure you didn’t send this?”

Zuko scanned the words on the page. It was signed by him. That was his signature at the bottom of the page, but the letter itself was not written in his handwriting. His nose scrunched as he tried to determine whose handwriting this was. He had seen it before. “This wasn’t sent by me…” Zuko tilted his head. “But that is my signature.” He dropped the letter on the table and took a seat. His pointer fingers rubbed his temples while he closed his eyes. “I must have signed a thousand papers since I’ve taken the throne,” his voice cracked with annoyance. “It’s possible I didn’t read this in its entirety.”

Zuko reached out for the letter with his eyes still shut until his hand touched something soft. His eyes opened to find that Katara had reached for the letter as well, her hand beating his to it first. The touch of her hand sent electricity up through his arm. When was the last time he touched her?

Katara’s eyes met his. Spirits, her eyes were breathtaking. Air got stuck in his throat as he felt her hand slip away.

She took the letter back in both her hands for analysis, their ephemeral bodily contact not having the same effect it had on Zuko. “Hmm…” she pondered. “I don’t understand,” she walked around the table, her hips swinging back and forth, one hand now resting a finger on her chin while the other held the letter for her to read. “ _Katara_ ,” she recited, “ _There is something very important that I need to talk to you about. I cannot write it here in case this letter gets into the wrong hands_.” Her finger tapped her chin. “ _Please come as soon as you can. Sincerely, Fire Lord Zuko_.”

“See?” Sokka snorted, “You called yourself Fire Lord in the letter.”

“I said I didn’t write the letter.” Zuko huffed, irritated that the letter hadn’t caught his attention earlier.

Katara took a seat next to Zuko, her arm resting close to his. The hairs on his arms stood up. He could feel a soft flush of scarlet sweep across his cheeks.

“Sokka,” Katara called, “come here.”

Sokka stretched as he got up from the throne. “Need the Plan Guy, huh?” He jabbed his elbow into Zuko’s shoulder as he sat down next to him. “Lemme see it again,” Sokka read it over another time. “You know,” a quizzical gaze accompanied his statement, “the letter only addresses Katara.”

“You’re right…” Katara pulled her eyebrows to the center of her forehead. “When I saw Zuko’s name, I just assumed you meant both of us…”

Zuko took the crown pin out of his hair, the flush on his cheeks replaced with an irksome expression. The mess of his hair now covered his neck and shoulders. Almost carelessly, he placed the crown on the table. Where had he seen that handwriting before? He knew it from somewhere, but where? He closed his eyes. _It isn’t Uncle’s…It’s not Father’s…It’s not—_ A name interrupted his thoughts. “Hold on,” Zuko’s voice was deep and stern. “I need to check something.” His gown swirled behind him as he went for the door, his crown pin abandoned on the table. If he was right, Katara and Sokka could be in trouble. “You two stay here, I’ll be right back.”

Zuko didn’t look back as he closed the throne room doors behind him. “Guards,” he addressed, “Make sure no one else enters that room unless it’s me.” The guards nodded.

With the assurance from the guards, Zuko took off running down the halls. He raced to Azula’s room. She wouldn’t be there now. Azula’s new room resided in the dungeons two stories above their father. Zuko had just signed a paper earlier that afternoon stating that she would _not_ be moved to an asylum despite the urges from his council. But did Azula know of the mercy he was giving her? It was no surprise that whispers of her possible departure had seeped through the Fire Nation. If Azula had heard the news, did she have the ability to do something about it? To make him regret sending her away?

Zuko found her desk in the corner of the room. He tore out all the drawers until he found the one that held her old plans for overtaking the Earth Kingdom. The papers crunched in his white knuckled grip as he raced back to the throne room. “GUARDS!” Zuko roared, “OPEN THE—” He stopped dead in his tracks as he approached the door. Both guards laid face first on the ground, steam rising off them. Black soot marked the tops of their masks. Zuko dropped to his knees and checked to see if they still had a pulse. Thank the Spirits they were still breathing. The only color he could see was red. He tried flinging open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “No!” Zuko growled. “KATARA!” His leg swung back with a shout as fire blasted from his foot onto the handles. When that didn’t work, he stuffed the paper into his gown’s pocket and repeated the drills his uncle had taught him until the door eventually opened. “KATARA! SOKKA!” Zuko’s heart pounded in his ears. He could feel his blood roaring through his body like forest fire. “AZULA! SHOW YOURSELF!”

Footsteps echoed through the room, bouncing off the walls. “Now, now, now, Zuzu,” Azula clapped her hands as she stepped from behind the throne. “I’m surprised it took you this long.” Her hair was tied back in a tight bun, her jagged bangs tucked behind her ears. She was still dressed in her prison uniform. Blue fire bounced back and forth between the fingers on her right hand.

“What did you do with them?” Zuko ripped the plans from out of his pocket. “THIS IS YOUR HANDWRITING!” He ran towards his sister. He expected her to shoot him with lightning, but no. This time she let him get an inch away from her face. He could smell the hay from her cell on her hair.

“Oh come on, Zuzu,” she continued to play with the fire in her hand. “Don’t you think it would be more interesting to figure out how I managed this _whole_ ordeal?”

His bangs fell in his face. Sweat collected around his brow. She wanted him to strike first. He could tell. _Stay calm_ , Zuko tried _, Don’t give her what she wants. You won’t get your answers if you lose it._ “What did you do with them, Azula?” He repeated his question.

Azula shook her head and scoffed. “I can’t believe I thought you’d get more entertaining when you became Fire Lord.” Zuko watched as she diminished the blue fire on her fingers to a single small flame in the palm of her hand. “You’re so serious. So angry.” The flame grew a little bigger. “Why are you so angry?” Bigger. “I thought you’d be happy as Fire Lord of the Fire Nation!” A twisted laugh poured out of her lungs. “And yet, here you are, angry, so very angry.”

Zuko’s breath came in heavy puffs. He could feel the temperature in his knuckles rising. _She’s toying with you,_ Zuko reminded himself. _Don’t let her get to you._ The heat in his hands didn’t die down, but at least it didn’t continue to grow.

“Fine, since you won’t ask, I’ll just tell you.” His sister took a step towards him, forcing him to take a step back as she seated herself on his throne. A satisficed sigh of relief came from the princess’s lips. “There, much better,” Azula used her free hand to keep her bangs in place. “There are still people in this palace that ADORE me, Zuzu.” She crossed her legs, keeping the blue flame hovering in her palm.

“There’s a difference between adoration and being feared,” Zuko huffed through gritted teeth. It was becoming harder and harder to stay calm. Where was Katara? Where was Sokka?

“Oh please, they’re one in the same as long as you get what you want,” Azula stood up. “And I want the throne!” Without warning, Azula turned the fire in the room a piercing blue, blinding Zuko.

Zuko shielded his eyes, the flames stinging them shut.

“You thought you could get rid of me, hm?” Azula tossed her head back and forth, sending strands of her hair to fray in various directions. Her bangs escaped the protection of her ears. Zuko opened his eyes to watch a cruel smile spread across her face with bared teeth. “Thought you could put me away in some looney bin without there being consequences?”

“No!” Zuko protested. “I didn’t! I wouldn’t!” Zuko clenched his fists. “I just signed the papers today making sure you would stay—!”

“Oh, you signed some papers!” Azula threw her head back with a loud cackle. “You signed a letter sending your precious little girlfriend and her dolt brother to their _doom_ without even knowing it! Do you really think I find _your_ words to hold merit?”

Zuko’s fists grew hot. He didn’t know how much longer he could keep himself under control. “Where are they?” The growl resonated through the room as fire crawled its way to Zuko’s hands.

“HA!” Azula chortled. “I told Katara you hadn’t changed. You still can’t control yourself. You’re still _weak_!” Without hesitation, Azula shot fire through her fingers towards her brother. “You will _always_ be _weak_!”

Zuko dodged the throw, shooting two roaring flames back at her. “TELL ME WHERE SHE IS!”

“ZUKO!” a cry for help rang perfectly in his ears.

That was Katara’s voice.

Zuko did a quick scan of the room, trying to determine where the voice came from.

“Oh darn,” Azula rolled her eyes as she avoided Zuko’s counter-attack effortlessly. “I thought I was going to have more time to play with you, Zuzu.” She stood up and walked over to a tile in the middle of the throne room. “It would appear that your little waterbending princess managed to get her gag loose.” With a loud thud, Azula stomped on the tile, a sinister smile residing on her lips. She sent the tile flying through the air before jumping down its hole.

“KATARA!” Zuko lunged for the gap in the floor headfirst. His body went tumbling down a tunnel with multiple twists and turns. By the time he reached the bottom he was sure he had cracked at least one rib. With a hand pressed to his side, he whispered, “Katara, Sokka, where are you?” The room was pitch black. Zuko couldn’t see anything. Was this the basement? It must have been. Azula and Zuko hadn’t been down here since they were kids. They got in trouble for wandering down there, pretending to be Fire Lord and prisoner.

Zuko ignited a small flame to hover above his palm. Suddenly, his fire triggered a series of flames to burst one by one around the room, each flame a different color. The flames sparked parallel from each other until they reached to the far end where Azula stood.

That was when he saw them. Katara and Sokka had been chained to a stone wall. Their hands were shackled above their heads. “Zuk—!” Katara managed to shout before Azula shoved a rag back into her mouth.

Sokka squirmed in his chains, shouting muffled curses through his own gag.

“Glad to see you decided to join us, oh mighty Fire Lord,” Azula hissed with a menacing grin.

Zuko took a step forward with tightened fists. “Let them go, Azula!” he ordered.

Azula only snickered at his command. “Or what?” She lit her pointer finger on fire. “What will you do if I don’t?” Her finger moved dangerously close to Sokka’s face. “Oooo, that would leave a nasty little scar, don’t you agree, Zuko?”

Zuko slowly continued to walk closer to the other end of the room. He watched while Sokka twitched. Azula’s finger traveled closer and closer to his skin.

“I said _stop_!” Zuko couldn’t remember the last time she had actually tried to hurt someone without them fighting her in combat. She had never harmed someone held down. Azula considered that form of pain to be too easy, it took the fun out of it for her.

“Oh, you don’t want me to make Sokka be your Water Tribe twin?” The flame on Azula’s finger grew into a large ball in her hand, pressing closer and closer to Sokka’s skin. Sweat was dripping off Sokka’s brow and down underneath his necklace. Sokka could only turn his head away from Azula.

Katara clanked around in her bounds, thrashing from side to side as she was forced to watch Azula’s cruel treatment of her brother. She spit out the gag once more, “LEAVE HIM _ALONE_!” Katara swung her leg up and kicked Azula’s backside.

“HEY!” The fire in Azula’s hand grew fierce when she turned her attention to Katara. “You know what, you filthy _peasant_ ,” she grunted, “I think I’m done being nice.” Her eyes narrowed, flashing a quick look at Zuko, who was now only a few meters away. A fowl smile stretched across her lips. “Didn’t I leave my own mark on you, dearest brother?”

Zuko’s face must have shown fear because her smile only stretched farther.

“Yes, I believe I did,” Azula took one of her nails and laid it on Katara’s exposed stomach. “It was _here_ , wasn’t it?” With a quick flick of her wrist, Azula drew blood, leaving a thin, long scratch down Katara’s flesh.

Katara yelped. Sokka bucked his body in a furious rage.

Azula brought her flaming hand down to Katara’s stomach. “Wouldn’t it be romantic if the two love birds shared the same scar?”

“AAAH!” Zuko couldn’t help it anymore. Hot steam roared through his veins. Without a second thought, Zuko shot a beam of fire soaring through the air.

“Nah, ah, ah,” Azula shot a blue beam of fire back. “You better be careful, Zuzu. Wouldn’t want to hurt your precious princess girlfriend, now would you?”

Her attack caught Zuko’s gown on fire. He stripped it off and sent another ball of fire at his sister. “ENOUGH!” Zuko’s voice boomed. “LET THEM GO AND FIGHT ME!”

There it was. That was what she was looking for. The rematch of Angi Kai. Azula licked her lips. “Your wish is my command,” she cracked her neck. “ _Fire Lord_ …” and with that their battle had begun. The small room getting hotter and hotter with each fiery shot.

Zuko did his best to aim his fists and feet at his sister. He couldn’t live with himself if he hurt Katara. “GRRAH!”

Blinding sparks of red and blue scattered the room.

Swooshes and swipes of feet and arms sliced through the air.

“Is this the best you can do, _Fire Lord_?” Azula taunted. “My nation deserves a ruler who can win a battle without fear of hurting those around her.” Blue fire poured out of her fingertips, just missing Zuko’s scarred check by a centimeter. “Never show WEAKNESS!”

With a kick, Zuko watched a key fall out of Azula’s uniform. Zuko belted a battle cry as he charged towards his sister. She didn’t seem to notice the lost key as she swirled another roar of blue in her brother’s direction.

“You’re _sloppy_!” Azula sneered.

Zuko scraped his nails across the ground before snatching up the key. “SOKKA!”

With a quick glance, Zuko tossed the key into Sokka’s hands.

Azula’s sneer dropped. She patted her uniform at the realization her key was lost.

“NO!” She grunted, breathing blue flames.

Shot after shot.

Block after block.

Zuko kept an eye on Sokka as he maneuvered the key in the lock. Zuko kept his friends safe from his sister’s attacks. He could hear Sokka setting Katara free.

“Go to the wall!” Zuko ordered.

Katara and Sokka did as they were told. Sokka’s back clung to the wall while he wiggled his way back to the entrance of the room where a metal door welcomed him. Katara stayed where she was, anticipating Zuko’s next moves.

Zuko watched Katara bending the beads of sweat that had gathered on her body. He knew what she was planning.

“We’ll see who deserves the title of Fire Lord NOW!” he roared.

This time he held nothing back. Zuko twirled around the room until his back was towards Sokka, forcing Azula to stumble to the back of the room.

Shot after shot.

Deflect after deflect.

“You’re _done_ , big brother!” Azula raised her arms to the side as if trying to spread wings of a dragon.

And with that, Katara sliced Azula’s check with the ice she bended from her sweat.

This caught Azula off guard, giving Zuko and Katara the opportunity to pin his sister to the wall.

“NO!” She protested, but it was too late. Her hands were already shackled above her head.

“I guess Zuko still holds the title, doesn’t he?” Katara’s voice was stern. “You won’t get away with this again, Azula.” Katara reached for Zuko’s hand. He looked down at her wrists. Small cuts were etched into her skin from the rust of her bounds. He could only image that Sokka would bare the same wounds.

“This isn’t over! THIS WILL NEVER BE OVER!” Azula screamed flames, the same way she did the last time she was defeated by her brother and his talented Katara. She tried kicking fire at them, but Zuko blocked each attempt. She couldn’t hurt them anymore.

“I’ll go get help.” Sokka volunteered, dashing to find nearby guards.

It wasn’t long before ten guards came to take Azula away in chains. Her head hung against her chest with shame while she hissed curses at her brother.

Zuko watched them take her away with a heavy, disappointed heart. Katara walked next to him and slid her fingers through his.

The sudden sign of affection snapped Zuko’s eyes to Katara.

She used her other hand to touch Zuko’s ribs.

He winced at her touch, but he didn’t care. At least she was touching him.

“Are you okay?” Katara asked with concern.

Zuko nodded. “Yeah, I think it’s just bruised.”

Sokka walked up to the couple. “So,” he started, “I couldn’t help but notice that _neither_ _of you_ corrected your coo-coo sister when she said Katara was your _girlfriend_.” He squinted his eyes at Zuko. “Is there _something_ I should know?” He thrusted his pointer finger into the Fire Lord’s chest before crossing his arms with suspicion.

Zuko looked to Katara for help. He didn’t want to say anything if she wasn’t ready. Katara gave a small smile.

“We’ve been…um…I mean…well, what I mean to say is…” Zuko didn’t know how to construct a sentence in that moment.

Katara gave his hand a squeeze. “Yes, Sokka, we are dating.”

Zuko blushed again, swallowing hard as he braced himself for Sokka’s reaction.

“HA!” Sokka took a step back and shot his pointer finger into the air. “ _I knew_ _it_!” He wore a triumphant grin. “You both stink at keeping secrets!” Sokka threw both hands up. “The sexual tension between you guys is—!”

“SOKKA!” Zuko and Katara groaned in unison.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Sokka waved off their irritation. The Water Tribe warrior patted Zuko on his shoulder and smiled at his siter. “I’m happy for you guys. It’s about time you spoke up.” He rubbed his wrists as he followed the guards down the corridor. “Well, come on, I’m up for a victory snack. Who wants fireflakes?”

Now that Sokka knew the truth, Zuko held no reservations in wrapping his arm around Katara, pulling her into his side. “I’m so happy you’re safe,” he breathed, bending to the side to kiss her hair. It was one of her favorite places to be kissed. It was sweet and kind and gentle.

Katara leaned her head into the crook of his arm while they followed Sokka. “I’m happy you’re safe, too,” she started, “But you know you have to do something about Azula.”

Zuko sighed. Katara was right. This proved that Azula couldn’t be trusted. “I’ll hold a council meeting tomorrow to draft a request that she be sent to the asylum near Boiling Rock.” It pained Zuko to say it. He had hoped that he would have the sister he played with back again one day, but he guessed that day wouldn’t be anytime soon.

Katara gently latched her fingers on Zuko’s hip. “You’re making the right choice. You’re not weak. Maybe someday she’ll come around.”

A smile tugged at Zuko’s lips. It felt so good having her with him. It had been too long. Anytime apart from her was too long.

“We better catch up to Sokka or he’ll eat everything in sight,” Katara mentioned as they walked up the staircase.

The smile was now full on his face. “You’ve got a point.” He kissed Katara on her hair again. “Then later we should spend some…alone time together,” the Fire Lord grinned with a wink.

His Katara grinned back and blushed. “Oh, how I wait with great anticipation.”


End file.
